Collapsible sailboat



Oct. 9, 1962 J. H. R. HANSEN 3,057,316

COLLAPSIBLE SAILBOAT Filed Jan. 16, 1961 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 JORGEN HR HANSEN INVENTOR BY mm ZM ATTORNEY Oct. 9, 1962 Filed Jan. 16, 1961 FIG.

J. H. R. HANSEN 3,057,316

COLLAPSIBLE SAILBOAT 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 JORGEN HRHANSEN INVENTOR ATTORNEY 3,657,316 Patented-Oct. 9, 1962 3,057,316 COLLAPSEBLE SAILBOAT Jorgen Hartvig Rud Hansen, Norwegian Seamans Home, 2001 Park Ave., Baltimore 17, Md. Filed Jan. 16, 1961, Ser. No. 82,942 6 Claims. (Cl. 114-39) This invention relates generally to boats and more particularly it pertains to a collapsible water sports craft which is easily transported on land and quickly assembled for sailing on the Water.

Small sailing craft of the catamaran class have recently become very popular. These boats generally are for individual use and consequently are very light. Despite their light Weight, portability has been a problem because of the awkward length.

Accordingly, it is an object of this invention to provide a folding hull sports boat.

Another object of this invention is to provide a collapsible sailboat with personnel hand grips which convert to carrying handles.

And another object of the invention is to provide a folding boat with rudder hinge and mooring plates which convert to a combination closing hasp and trucking handle.

Still another object of this invention is to provide a simple junction arrangement for supporting the halves of a folding boat hull in operative position.

And yet another object of this invention is to provide a drop keel support arrangement for a collapsible boat which is convertible to a wheel arrangement for ease in trucking the folded craft overland.

These and other objects and attendant advantages of this invention will become more readily apparent and understood from the following detailed specification and accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a port side elevation of a collapsible sailboat incorporating features of this invention;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the folded hull of" the boat illustrated in FIG. '1;

FIG. 3 is an enlarged exploded perspective detail view of the junction between the hull halves;

FIG. 4 is an exploded perspective view of a portion of the stern of the boat of FIG. 1 showing details of the rudder assembly;

'FIG. 5 is a detail perspective view of the bow and stem ends of the folded hull illustrating the conversion of the rudder hinge and mooring plates to a clasp and trucking handle; and

FIG. 6 is a perspective view of the collapsed craft ready for overland transport.

Referring now to FIG. 1 of the drawings, the novel boat of this invention is designated generally therein by reference numeral 10. The boat 10 consists basically of a sail rigging 12 which is stepped into a position-like hull 14. This hull 14 is equipped with an outboard drop keel 28 and a rudder 32. Personnel hand grips 30 are located on the sides of the hull 14 as best illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 2.

The hull 14 consists of two halves 16 and 18 which are of identical length and width and are joined together at a junction 20. These two halves 16 and 18 are joined together at the tops of their abutting ends by means of a piano hinge 17 as best shown in FIG. 2.

The junction 20 is retained in the open or operative position by means of four headed bolts 26 which are passed through vertically arranged holes 27 in the halves 16 and 18 of the hull 14 as shown in FIG. 3. These bolts 26, together with thumbnuts 25 firmly hold a fiat top plate 22 and a pair of longitudinally arranged bottom straps 24 across the hinged junction 20 upon the top and bottom, respectively, of the hull 14.

The bow and stern ends of the hull 14 are each provided with identical plates 40 and 42, as shown in FIGS. 4 and 5. One plate 40 serves as a hinge plate for a pair of hinge eyes 36 mounted on the rudder 32. The rudder 32, which is steered by means of a pivotally mounted tiller 34, is easily demounted by removing a hinge pin 38 from the hinge eyes 36 and the plate 40 as shown in FIG. 4.

When the junction 20 is disassembled, the halves 16 and 18 of the hull 14 fold back upon themselves as shown best in FIGS. 2 and 5, whereupon the personnel hand grips 30 become a common lifting handle. Furthermore, the rudder hinge and mooring plates 40 and 42 are, respectively, now adjacent to each other. By means of the hinge pin 38, a trucking handle 44 may easily be attached so as to secure the hull halves 16 and 18 in the folded condition as shown in FIG. 5.

The out-board drop keel 28, which is used to control the transverse movement of the sailboat 10, is pivotally secured to the hull 14 with a long nutted staybolt 48 as shown in FIG. 1. When the keel 28 is removed for land transport, the bolt 48 is removed from the traverse hole 29 and reinserted in one set of the junction hardware holes 27 shown best in FIG. 2, which are located so as to be co-extensive in the folded halves 14 and 16.

A pair of light-weight wheels 46 shafted upon this bolt 48 become a means for conveniently trucking the folded hull 14 about by means of the previously mentioned trucking handle 44 as shown in FIG. 6.

Obviously many modifications and variations of the present invention are possible in light of the above teachings. It is, therefore, to be understood that within the scope of the appended claims the invention may be practiced otherwise than as specifically described.

What is claimed is:

1. A folding boat designated to sail as a Water craft when open and to be truckled on land when folded, comprising, a pair of superimposable hull halves arranged for matched peripheral abutment, a common hinge means joining said hull halves at corresponding edges of corresponding ends of said hull halves, a pair of identical hull plates mounted on the other ends of said hull halves, a trucking handle to join said pair of hull plates together, and means including a nutted staybolt with wheels at the opposite ends thereof, said staybolt joining said hull halves together, whereby said boat can be truckled on land and sailed on water when said trucking handle and said nutted staybolt are removed and said hull halves are unfolded on said hinge means.

2. A folding boat as recited in claim 1, and additionally a pivotal rudder mountable on one of said hull plates.

3. A folding boat as recited in claim 1, and additionally a carrying handle including personnel hand grips in juxtaposition on said hull halves.

4. A folding boat as recited in claim 1, and additionally means for holding said hull halves in said unfolded position.

5. A folding boat as recited in claim 2, and additionally an outboard drop keel secured to said hull substantially :at the juncture of said hull halves.

6. A folding boat as recited in claim 5, and a-dditionally a sailing rigging secured to said hull halves.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,157,186 Pinter May '9, 1939 OTHER REFERENCES Popular Science, pp. 136-138, August 1940. 

